


One's Lonely, Two's a Team

by gingercanary



Series: Ficlets [43]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Listen there's a cat, post-legends of to-meowmeow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:07:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26420860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingercanary/pseuds/gingercanary
Summary: Listen the daily prompt was Caress. Zari likes cats. Charlie's a shapeshifter, you do the maths.
Relationships: Charlie & John Constantine, Charlie & Sara Lance, Charlie & Zari Tomaz | Zari Tarazi, John Constantine & Sara Lance, John Constantine & Zari Tomaz | Zari Tarazi
Series: Ficlets [43]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731400
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [justpalsbeingals](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justpalsbeingals/gifts).



The jumpship was an absolutely terrible place for a cat. Everything was metal, even the chairs. Not even a single fragment of it grew warm in the sun- thankfully- but for now the jumpship was the only place for the cat. 

Zari would like to blame John for this one. First, for returning her to cat form so she couldn’t stop him and Charlie from cutting the timeline into snowflakes. Second, for letting Charlie take a picture with her in cat form. Charlie was right though, she was cute as hell. But then Charlie came into her room, teasing her about the image, and Zari asked for a trade. Or more, a favour. 

“It’s only fair,” Zari said, crossing her arms and ignoring the temptation to shove the glass of water on her desk off the edge. Those side effects were not helping her. 

Raising an eyebrow, Charlie asked, “you want me to turn into a cat for you?” 

“Yes. What’s wrong with that, I love cats. I’ll probably treat you better as a cat than as an Amaya-form.” She tangled her fingers in the wires on her desk.

Charlie regarded her for a second, weighing the options. “Alright, sure. And I ain’t an Amaya-form, I’m a Charlie-form. I’m always a Charlie-form.”

“Yeah, yeah, just turn into a cat so I can pet you. And stay away from Ray, he’s allergic.” 

Concentrating, Charlie shrunk down into a rather small, extremely fluffy, orange and black cat. 

“Oh my god you’re so tiny,” Zari cooed, picking Charlie-cat up and propping her down on her lap. “Aren’t you the cutest little kitty in the world?”

Charlie-cat considered rolling her eyes but Zari was caressing her so sweetly that she had to give in to her feline urges. And the strongest urge was to purr loudly and bonk her head against Zari’s chest. She let Zari enjoy her time with Charlie-cat, taking pictures and being the biggest cat person Charlie had ever met. But things went wrong when she attempted to return to her usual form. 

Zari watched as Charlie-cat scrunched up her nose, screwing her eyes shut but nothing happened. “Oh no… this must be the spell Constantine put on your powers.” 

Charlie gave her a stare. 

“Yeah, yeah, alright.” She picked Charlie up and slipped her into the pocket of her camouflage coat. “I’m going to hide you in the jumpship until John can fix you,” she whispered, walking through the halls. 

But before she could make it into the jumpship, John found her. 

“What are you up to, love?”

“Nothing,” Zari hoped and prayed that Charlie would stay still. 

Naturally her pocket wriggled and Charlie-cat’s head popped out with an indignant meow. 

“Let me guess,” John pointed. “Charlie cat?”

“Yup,” Zari sighed.


	2. Three's Trifecta, Four's Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I could not resist more Charlie-cat.

The jumpship was a risky place to hide, given the fact that Ray often used it to hop back to the time bureau. No one would give him a portal. John used a simple spell to lock the door, making sure that even Gideon couldn’t open it. 

Zari plopped down on the captain’s chair with a sigh, letting Charlie crawl out of her pocket and paw at her hair. “Yeah, yeah. I know you don’t want to stay a cat,” she murmured, petting Charlie’s head. “But if you do end up being stuck like this forever, at least you’re cute!”

“Mrow!”

Sitting down on the bench, John watched the two interact. Charlie had ingrained her nails firmly in Zari’s coat, her head in the crook of Zari’s neck as she complained about being stuck. Or at least, that’s what he assumed she was meowing about. Zari whispered many quiet “I know”’s as she continued to pet Charlie. The way she looked at Charlie cat was gentle and sweet. Innocent, even. Zari really did love cats.

“So, John,” Zari started. “Is there anything you can do about Charlie?” 

Charlie turned around and traipsed to the edge of Zari’s knee, sitting down with her golden eyes on him. A withering stare from Charlie in her normal form, but this way? He feared she might actually jump him. 

“The spell wasn’t meant to be reversed,” he shrugged. “I don’t know how you’ve been shifting, love. It’s not supposed to be possible.”

Charlie rolled her eyes and turnt back to Zari. 

“Well she shifted into Gary like thrice when you guys were ruining the timeline. Amaya too, Sara, Ava. So why is she stuck now?” Leaning forward, Zari gave John the same stare as Charlie cat. 

“Hell if I know.”

Charlie hopped from Zari’s knee, walked over to John and started climbing up his leg.

“Oi, stop that!” Pain shot through his calves as Charlie’s nails dug in. He picked her up by the scruff of her neck and dropped her in his lap. “No need to be so temperamental, I’m sure we can figure something out.” 

She sat down with a soft huff. 

Zari watched Charlie with a longing. “Well, we better figure it out fast. Before Sara catches us.” 

“Right, well, I can’t do anything here. We need to go to the library, that’s where I keep all my-”

“Your demon guides? Spell books for dummies? 101 ways to mess around with magic?” Zari raised an eyebrow and sat back. 

John glanced from Zari to Charlie. “You two are a match made in heaven, love.” He stood up, handing Charlie to Zari. “You both have the same temper,” he muttered. After removing his spell, he led the way to the library.

Finding her footing, Charlie slipped back into Zari’s pocket, keeping her eyes and nose above the edge. 

“So there’s no spell books for dummies?” She called after John. When he didn’t react, she stood up and tucked her hands in her pockets, the right curling around Charlie cat. “Well that’s a little disappointing,” she said.

The library was rather large, yes. But nothing compared to the view Charlie got as a small cat carried around in Zari’s pocket. She forced down her feline instincts, the temptation to climb the bookshelves and just take a nice nap. There would be time for naps in human form. Salmon too.

“Alright, love. Why don’t you sit nice and tight while we try to find the answer to your problem?” John wiggled his fingers at her and Charlie struggled to wriggle a paw out, swatting at them. 

“Leave her alone,” Zari mumbled. She carefully pulled Charlie out of her pocket and set her on the desk with a pat on the head. 

“Zari, what do you have there?”

Charlie almost fell back into Zari’s pocket when Sara appeared in the doorway.

“Nothing,” Zari squeaked, her hand over Charlie’s head.

“Uhuh, nothing.”


	3. Two Down, One To Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara learns about Charlie-cat. John turns Zari back into a cat. Sara's a fan of Charlie-cat and Zari slaps John until he comes up with a solution. What'd ya expect, they're cats.

With a sigh of resignation, Zari held her hand out flat, palm up next to her pocket. Charlie-cat slowly wriggled her head out, giving Sara the cutest look she could muster. Pawing dismissively at Zari’s makeshift step, she dug her nails in and climbed onto Zari’s shoulder. 

“Z, want to explain the cat?” Sara crossed her arms.

Giving Charlie a gentle head butt, Zari mumbled, “uh, not really.” 

“John?” She raised her eyebrows, walking further into the library.

“Ah, fine, love.” He got up from his seat and plucked Charlie from Zari’s shoulder, setting her on one of the higher bookshelves. 

Charlie hissed at him and eyed the jump she’d have to make to return to Zari. Viewing the library like this, from a place so high, she felt like she was in a cathedral. A cathedral covered in books, of course. 

“So. That is Charlie, as a cat.” He pointed to the high shelf, careful enough to keep his hand out of reach this time. 

“Wait, what?” Uncrossing her arms, Sara moved to the bookcase upon which Charlie was sat. “Come, Charlie.” She reached out.

Charlie tentatively stepped onto Sara’s hands.

“What’ve you been up to this time, kitty?” She asked, but she couldn’t help smiling. 

Charlie blinked slowly as Sara eyed her cat-form. It was unsettling to be so much smaller than everyone else. Everything was huge and scary, having Sara’s bright blue eyes watch her made her ears twitch. She let out a quiet meow.

Zari rushed to Sara’s side, silently offering her hands to Charlie. When Sara crooked an eyebrow, she said, “Charlie-cat likes me.”

To demonstrate the honesty of Zari’s words, Charlie traipsed over Zari’s arm, back to her shoulder. 

“So, is anyone going to tell me why Charlie shapeshifted into a really adorable cat?” 

“Because I asked,” Zari mumbled. She brushed over Charlie’s head with the thumb of her free hand. “And it was payback.”

Sara pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “I can’t believe I have to say this. You can’t just go around asking people to turn into cats for you.” As she was saying the words, her voice faltered. 

“Now that’s gotta be your worst scolding yet.” 

Zari turned to John, temporarily forgetting that Charlie was sat on her shoulder.

With a loud meow, Charlie lost her footing. If it wasn’t for Sara’s lightning-quick reflexes, Charlie-cat would not have landed on her feet. Charlie held onto the sleeve of Sara’s sweater for dear life as Zari turned around sheepishly.

“Sorry, baby,” She said, once again holding out her hands. 

With an eyebrow wiggle at Zari’s turn of phrase, Sara removed Charlie’s claws from her wrist then gently placed her back in Zari’s arms. “Take better care of Charlie-cat,” she said. “She’s yours to care for until John figures out a way to fix this.” Sara walked to John. “Fix this,” she mumbled. 

“Yeah, yeah. This might do the trick.” John stood up and spoke an incantation. 

But instead of turning Charlie back into a human, it turned Zari back into a cat.

After finding her footing, Charlie whipped her head around to face Zari. Or, alternately, Zari-cat. To Charlie chagrin, Zari was a head bigger than her, all soft grey and her totem graced her neck. Slightly dishevelled and confused, Zari-cat meowed up at Sara and John. Charlie could understand her now. She’d never known cats could curse this much. Rising up on her paws, Charlie brushed her head against Zari’s then led her up to the desk.

“So John’s failed spectacularly,” Charlie meowed.

“Clearly,” Zari huffed. The two of them watched as Sara and John bickered.

Looking from the spellbook to Zari- and Charlie-cat to John, Sara snorted. “Are you just going to turn us all into cats, John? Is that the plan?”

John shrugged and wiggled his fingers at Zari and Charlie, who both pawed at it with their nails out. “That sounds better than my misreading a spell,” he offered.

“I can assure you that even if you turn every single one of us into cats, you won’t control the ship. Gideon would stop you.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the desk, hiding John from Zari-cat.

“She’s trying to stop me from fighting him,” Zari meowed, popping her head around Sara’s hip.

Charlie stood up on her hind legs, placing her front paws on Sara’s lower back, meowing loudly. “Make him turn us human again or let him suffer,” she said.

Sara just reached behind her and absent-mindedly scratched behind Charlie’s ear.

“Captain’s pet,” Zari hissed. She manoeuvred herself out from behind Sara and launched herself across the room, right on top of John’s book. With her nails in, she slapped John across the face in a very un-catlike fashion. “Hurry up,” she meowed. “I had enough of this last time.”

John patted her between the ears with two fingers. “Yeah, yeah love. I’m working on it.” He proceeded to shove her off his book, into the gigantic pile of demonology guides stacked like the tower of Pisa.

Zari hissed as she scrambled for purchase, nails out and scratching over the sleek wooden desk.

With a disapproving glance at John’s demonology avalanche, Charlie climbed Sara. Judging from the books John had judged “possibly useful”, it was going to be a long cat-day. She might as well enjoy it, no one could resist her charms now.

With a strong death stare, Zari curled up on the desk next to John. Someone had to watch over him to make sure he wasn’t turning everyone into cats.

Normally, the dark wood of the desks in the library was as horrible to sit on as the metal benches in the jumpship. But as a cat? Zari could sleep anywhere- which wasn’t wholly to blame on her cat form- she was always down for a nap. Watching John work through half-closed eyes, Zari purred and turned around, prancing all over his notes. He deserved it. She curled up again, her eyes on Sara and Charlie this time. 

Charlie lay stretched out on Sara’s lap, her hind paws barely coming over the edge of Sara’s kneecaps. She was such a small cat. Charlie’s nose was buried in the crease of Sara’s sweater, right at the hips, and her claws were hooked into the fabric. If she’d known Charlie would be such a captain’s pet, Zari wouldn’t have asked her to change into a cat. Not that she’d expected it from Sara, who was a self-proclaimed dog person.

“What’re you sticking your nose into?” John looked up from his book to see Charlie and Sara so chummy. 

“What do you mean?” She leaned back, planting her hands onto the desk as she dangled her feet over the edge. No chair was good enough for the bi Captain Lance. Not when she could sit on the furniture. With her hand supporting Charlie’s back, Sara had started listening to the next Book Club book on audible.

“Not you, Charlie.” He pointed with the end of a feathered pen, catching Zari in the process. The bright colours entranced her, forcing her out of her sleepy mood and into an attack. Her teeth bared, she rolled over with the pen in her hand. It took her a few seconds to overcome her instincts and return to her position. 

“You okay, Z? Looks like your instincts are taking over, love.” He wiggled the pen in front of her with a smile. 

Zari growled at him and returned her attention to Charlie and Sara. He could only make fun of her if she took the bait. 

“Righto. I meant Charlie, look at her.” John raised an eyebrow.

With a gentle stroke over Charlie’s back, Sara said, “let her be. She’s dreaming.”

Zari watched as Charlie’s breathing caused her fluffy stomach to rise and fall in a soft rhythm. Charlie really was sleeping.

“What’d you reckon she’s dreaming about?” John raised his eyes to the ceiling, knowing Gideon would have an answer.

“She’s dreaming about playing in a park with Zari-cat, Sara, and you,” Gideon answered.

Blinking, Zari tilted her head. Would Charlie’s dreams really be that sweet?

“What a softie,” John said. 

“Let her be. You have work to do.”

To emphasise Sara’s point, Zari stood on John’s hand with her front paws and gave him an icy stare. 

“I’m trying, love.” He patted her head. “I just don’t remember the spell.”

Zari meowed, “try harder.”

With a sigh, John went back to work.


	4. No More Chasing Tail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of Zari and Charlie Cat!

Patience was a virtue reserved for angels and old people. That’s what Zari always said. Her life had been running and hiding and running and fighting, it wasn’t strange for her to consider this. As a cat, life was slower, more peaceful. Her fluffy body told her that it was okay to take a nap when she should be slapping John silly for turning her back into a cat. It was like trying to move through jelly, laziness was a part of her. At least, for now. 

Time passed in strange patterns as she lay curled up on John’s desk, opening her eyes every once in a while to check whether he was still at work. Sometimes she’d stand up and stretch, walk around the room on her soft paws. The library had all sorts of nooks and crannies, perfect for an adventure. But seeing herself reflected as a cat in the mirror, that was perhaps the most interesting adventure. She tilted her head when she sat in front of the reflective glass, watching her ears twitch at the flutter of paper. Sneaking up to the mirror, pressing her nose against Zari felt warm inside. She loved her cat shape, the soft grey of her fur and the dark stripes. She stretched out her neck, watching her totem dangle from her neck like a charm against evil. Maybe she could still use her powers, even in this form. Treading lightly, she hid behind the edge of a bookcase and made a pushing motion with her left paw, calling upon her powers. A small gust of wind pushed loose sheets of paper over John’s desk. 

“Oh, what’s this now?” 

Zari meowed in triumph, running off to Charlie. Charlie still lay on Sara’s lap, drifting between asleep and awake. Placing a paw on Sara’s leg, Zari bumped her head against Charlie’s. “C’mon,” she meowed. “I want to show you something.” 

“Alright,” Charlie replied sleepily. She got up and brushed her head against Sara’s hand affectionately, before letting Zari lead her to the mirror. 

“Go on,” Zari meowed. “Look at your cat-form.” She watched as Charlie inspected her tiny shape, wiggling her paws and stretching her torso. 

Charlie sat down close to the mirror, inspecting her triangle ears and her chatoyant golden eyes, the gleam of the light brightening the colours. “This is so cool,” Charlie sighed. “Maybe being a cat isn’t so bad.”

Time was running out, for John. Zari had done everything she could possibly want to do as a cat- other than eating chicken- but she was sure that Gideon’s fabricated food was not Halal. She paced back and forth over John’s notes, pawing at his hands and meowing loudly. “I’m done being a cat!” 

John just sighed, “I’m working on it, love.” In the past time, he’d gone through three-fourths of his demonology guides, marking several spells and writing down incantations. But he hadn’t found the solution, at least, not yet. 

Zari had started to entertain herself by blowing pieces of paper around the room and wandering through the vents as a cat. She’d meow and every legend on board could hear her discontent. Charlie had taken a liking to John’s feathered pen, which now lay demolished on the library floor. To pass the time, Sara retrieved a small ping pong ball and she was now rolling it around the room for Charlie to chase. But Zari had spent enough time as a cat when they imprisoned her in that backpack, so she wanted out. With a sigh, Zari nudged one of the remaining demonology guides open, standing on the edge with her paw and giving the cover a shove with her nose. She rearranged herself at the end of the book, tail curled around her paws as she began to read the countless spells. Maybe together they could find an answer. For every spell there should be a reverse version, right?

Pages and pages passed and Zari had to concentrate to keep her eyes from glazing over, the hundredth Latin incantation passing under her nose. Until she read the word ‘cat’. Meowing, Zari tapped John’s hand. “I found something,” she said.

“What’s going on, Z?” John rubbed his tired eyes, focussing his attention on her. 

“I found a spell, you dumbass,” Zari replied. She reached out with her paw and underlined the line where she’d seen the word. “Look, I was faster than you as a cat.” 

John’s eyes narrowed as he read over the description and incantation. “Bloody hell, you might be right. Alright love, go sit on the floor will ya?” 

Rolling her eyes, Zari hopped down to the floor. She couldn’t cross her fingers but she hoped and prayed that she wouldn’t be turned into another animal. One was more than enough. When John spoke the incantation she shot upwards. Seconds later, she was Zari again. “Finally,” she groaned, inspecting her arms and legs. “Alright, do Charlie then.” 

“Hey Charlie,” John called to the kitty rolling over a ping pong ball. “How’d you feel if I could make you human again?”

Charlie straightened and ran to the edge of the desk, as fast as her tiny paws could carry her. Seconds later, there stood Charlie. “That sure was an experience.” Charlie brushed her hands over her legs in disbelief. “How much time did I spend as a cat?”

“Enough to feel some side effects,” Zari spoke from experience. She wasn’t looking forward to those. “And John, the next time you turn me into a cat, I’ll drop you off on the moon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, what'd you think? Should Charlie cat return? This really was just a way to connect my prompt deliveries together but it worked quite well. If you'd like to talk about Charlie cat, hmu on tumblr I'm @ginger-canary!  
> Love,  
> Freckles

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked Charlie cat because I certainly did. She will be back, I promise  
> Love,  
> Freckles


End file.
